DFA Crosses 185K-Mark in Repatriated Overseas Filipinos

PASAY CITY 20 September 2020 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) brought home an additional 11,611 overseas Filipinos this week amid the continuous onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of today, the DFA has repatriated a total of 185,650 overseas Filipinos, of whom 65,048 (35.04%) are sea-based while 120,602 (64.96%) are land-based.

Our nationals from the Middle East comprised most of the repatriates this week at 8,132. Arrivals from Europe stood at 1,299 including three medical repatriates from Turkey, Malta, and Spain. A total of 1,089 overseas Filipinos went home from the Americas this week while 981 repatriates arrived from Asia including the two rescued Filipino crew members of the missing Gulf Livestock-1 from Japan and eight Filipino seafarers who had been stranded in the waters of Ningde City, Fujian Province, China due to travel restrictions brought about by COVID-19. Finally, 110 OFWs arrived from Africa - 109 of whom were working in Algeria and were assisted by our Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya.

The DFA, through its Foreign Service Posts around the world, remains unwavering in carrying out its repatriation efforts, wherever and whenever possible. END